From The Sky
by TheWiseOldSageBrush
Summary: The Marauders Lily receive a book from the future, "Harry Potter And The Prisoner Of Azkaban". What harm could come from reading? Part 1 of Chapter 2 is up. A 'Reading The Books' story.
1. Chapter 1

**Heeeello,**

**Basically, I want to write, but I have nothing original to add to this site, so I'm going for one of the most overused but effective and ridiculously addictive to read (hopefully) kinds of stories - "reading the books". The Marauders (+ Lily) in particular. My favourite HP characters. :D By the way, it's set in their sixth year; I don't think I could stand writing about Lily hating our Prongs.**

**Also, this will probably be updated very rarely, if ever, and long bouts of hiatus is strongly likely. I don't tend to stick with things, just a warning.**

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><p><span>~ PREFACE ~<span>

Remus Lupin considered himself a sensible person. He was rarely flustered and knew when to restrain himself and avoid trouble. This trait was especially useful when one spent all of their time with Sirius Black, James Potter and Peter Pettigrew, renowned for their mischievous personalities and love of pranking.

However, at this moment he wasn't feeling very responsible, sensible or cool, calm and collected. All he was currently feeling was confusion, and intense burning curiosity. But then, who wouldn't feel that way if a book detailing their future, and that of those around them miraculously appeared in front of them?

His eyes once again scanned the note that had fallen out of the sky;

_Remus Lupin,_

_I apologise in advance, because Teddy says that this will likely fall on your head. _

_Now I don't know if you'll be willing to believe any of this, but if my word counts, it's definitely very, very real._

_Basically, the book accompanying this letter is the story of Harry Potter, the son of James. In the future, another Wizarding War takes place, centring around Harry and Voldemort. Because this and the first war resulted in so many unnecessary deaths, we need you to reverse this and make it right. After you read this one (the third in the series, and the most important to the future of yourself, Lily, and the Marauders) I think you'll agree. _

_I understand you have classes and homeworks and pranks and detentions to attend to, but we don't mind how long it takes you to get through the book. Just gather Lily, Sirius, Peter and James to the room that supplies you with what you need (I'm fairly certain you know what I'm on about) and be sure you don't raise any suspicion._

_Please don't be too harsh on anyone. I hate to be ominous, but all is not what it seems._

_V.W & T.L_

Remus knew this could all be a complete sham, but his thirst for knowledge and enlightenment was out-weighing his desire to be cautious.

Oh Merlin, confound it all!

He slowly bent and carefully lifted the hardback novel that had thwacked him across the head just a few minutes previous. 'Harry Potter And The Prisoner Of Azkaban'.

Mind made up, the werewolf made the quick trek back to the Gryffindor Tower. He was going to do it.

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><p>"Hey Padfoot, how do you feel about reading a book?"<p>

Said boy wrinkled his nose in response.

"His reading is restricted to Playwitch and Minnie's diary." laughed Prongs, that git. Peter giggled like a schoolgirl, and Sirius quickly chucked his pillow at James, hitting him square in the face.

In an effort to postpone the inevitable pillow fight that would follow, Moony interjected, "Well, that's too bad, because we're going to be reading one." He raised his copy of Harry Potter so that they could see it.

"Potter? What, like James?" questioned Peter.

"Exactly like James, his son in fact. And if we can persuade Lily to join, we're going to have ourselves some story time."

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><p><strong>Reading starts next chapter, if all the homework I'm not doing doesn't get in the way. Review please, it gives me an incentive to continue. I don't mind constructive criticism at all.<strong>

**Hope you're at least mildly interested, because I plan to keep up with this even if it does get crappier and crappier,**

**Eimz. **


	2. Chapter 2

**First off, thanks to those who reviewed! I really couldn't thank you enough, it's nice to read supportive comments from people who don't even know you but are kind enough to take time out of their day to offer their opinion and give you motivation. Thank you once again. :D**

**This is the next chapter, hope you like it. :)**

**Chapter 2**

"So Moony, care to explain?" asked Sirius. The boys and Lily were assembled in the Room of Requirement. Sitting on squishy sofas, drinking butterbeer from the Marauders' stash, they all fidgeted impatiently, awaiting Remus' explanation as to why they were going to waste pranking time reading a book. The lycanthrope gently stood and held up the note.

"So earlier today I was walking back from the library-" "Wouldn't expect any less, Moons," interjected James, "the library being your second home and all." Lily cuffed him playfully up the head and Remus gave him his sardonic look.

"_when_," he continued in a tone that told them he wouldn't appreciate anymore interruptions, "something fell from the ceiling and basically whacked me across the head. The thing was this book. It's the story of James' son and his part in the war that's raging at this very moment. We're supposed to read it and do what we can to change what happened."

James reached for the letter attached and, intrigued, Lily (ever the cautious one) questioned "How can you be sure of its origins? How do you know it's safe?"

"You can check it yourself, Lily." Remus replied. Lily drew her wand and tried the book for dark magic. "Clear," she said, "but that doesn't mean we should trust it anyway. Dark magic isn't always necessary for malicious intent. Are we sure we want to mess with something that could potentially be so devastating? Attempting to change fate rarely goes well."

"I don't know about you, Lils, but I'm willing to risk it. If we can, you know, save people and stuff, we should go for it." offered Sirius. Lily frowned at the use of the nickname, but slowly, she nodded.

"Alright. But don't say I didn't warn you. Go ahead then, Remus."

Remus opened the novel, and began.

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><p><strong>Harry Potter was a highly unusual boy in many ways. <strong>

"Doesn't surprise me; he's a mini Marauder!" spoke Sirius.

**For one thing, he hated the summer holidays more than any other time of year. **

James' expression morphed into confusion. "I'm not...mean, am I?"

**For another, he really wanted to do his homework but was forced to do it in secret, in the dead of night. And he also happened to be a wizard.**

"I know you don't approve of actually doing homework, James, but is that really necessary?" was Lily's input. James shrugged in response, confusion written all over his face.

**It was nearly midnight, and he was lying on his stomach in bed, the blankets drawn right over his head like a tent, a flashlight in one hand and a large leather-bound book (A History of Magic by Bathilda Bagshot) propped open against the pillow. Harry moved the tip of his eagle-feather quill down the page, frowning as he looked for something that would help him write his essay, "Witch Burning in the Fourteenth Century Was Completely Pointless - discuss."**

"I remember that essay." grumbled Peter, who hadn't exactly enjoyed it.

**The quill paused at the top of a likely-looking paragraph. Harry Pushed his round glasses up the bridge of his nose, moved his flashlight closer to the book, and read:**

"What's a flashlight?" Sirius asked Lily. "I know it as a torch, but it's a Muggle device that provides light. It's basically _lumos_, but for Muggles."

** Non-magic people (more commonly known as Muggles) were particularly afraid of magic in medieval times, but not very good at recognizing it. On the rare occasion that they did catch a real witch or wizard, burning had no effect whatsoever. The witch or wizard would perform a basic Flame Freezing Charm and then pretend to shriek with pain while enjoying a gentle tickling. Wendelin the Weird enjoyed being burned so much that she allowed herself to be caught no less than forty seven times in various disguises.**

"Charming," said Remus sarcastically, smiling slightly.

**Harry put his quill between his teeth and reached underneath his pillow for his ink bottle and a roll of parchment. Slowly and very carefully he unscrewed the ink bottle, dipped his quill into it, and began to write, pausing every now and then to listen, because if any of the Dursleys heard the scratching of his quill on their way to the bathroom, he'd probably find himself locked in the cupboard under the stairs for the rest of the summer.**

James furrowed his eyebrows. "Who are the Dursleys?" he asked aloud. Lily held in a gasp, as she began to put the pieces together. Surely not Dursley, as in Vernon Dursley, Petunia's boyfriend?

**The Dursley family of number four, Privet Drive, was the reason that Harry never enjoyed his summer holidays. Uncle Vernon, Aunt Petunia, and their son, Dudley, were Harry's only living relatives. **

James' face went white.

**They were Muggles, and they had a very medieval attitude toward magic. Harry's dead parents, **- Remus stuttered, but continued to the end of the sentence -** who had been a witch and wizard themselves, were never mentioned under the Dursleys' roof.**

The room went quiet. The group exchanged wide eyed looks, too stunned to speak. James was dead? Who was Harry's mother?

James spoke up in a dull voice, "Keep reading, Remus. We need to know what's going on." Remus, feeling sick and regretting his choice to read, carried on.

**For years, Aunt Petunia and Uncle Vernon had hoped that if they kept Harry as downtrodden as possible, they would be able to squash the magic out of him. To their fury, they had been unsuccessful. These days they lived in terror of anyone finding out that Harry had spent most of the last two years at Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry. The most they could do, however, was to lock away Harry's spellbooks, wand, cauldron, and broomstick at the start of the summer break, and forbid him to talk to the neighbors.**

Sirius, growing angrier and angrier, said, "We _will_ change this, Prongs. That's why we've been sent this. Where are we? Why aren't I looking after Harry? He doesn't deserve to be treated like that!"

**This separation from his spellbooks had been a real problem for Harry, because his teachers at Hogwarts had given him a lot of holiday work. One of the essays, a particularly nasty one about shrinking potions, was for Harry's least favorite teacher, Professor Snape, who would be delighted to have an excuse to give Harry detention for a month. **

"What?! That greasy git's been allowed to _teach_? Imagine how he'll treat my son! And I'm not here to hex him into next week!" said James.

**Harry had therefore seized his chance in the first week of the holidays. While Uncle Vernon, Aunt Petunia, ****and Dudley had gone out into the front garden to admire Uncle Vernon's new company car (in very loud voices, so that the rest of the street would notice it too), **

"Petunia? Like your sister, Lily?" asked Remus. Lily nodded, subdued. James, however, lit up. "I get my Lilyflower?" He grinned and threw his arms around her tightly. Surprisingly, Lily let him.

**Harry had crept downstairs, picked the lock on the cupboard under the stairs, grabbed some of his books, and hidden them in his bedroom. As long as he didn't leave spots of ink on the sheets, the Dursleys need never know that he was studying magic by night.**

"These Dursleys sound horrible. How are your relatives so mean while you're so nice, Lily?" questioned Peter, who'd always liked Lily for her help with homework, and had always stood up for him. Lily just smiled weakly in response.

**Harry was particularly keen to avoid trouble with his aunt and uncle at the moment, as they were already in an especially bad mood with him, all because he'd received a telephone call from a fellow wizard one week into the school holiday.**

"Oh Merlin," moaned Remus, having had plenty of awful experiences with Padfoot and Prongs' inability to use a phone. The pair both grinned sheepishly.

**Ron Weasley, who was one of Harry's best friends at Hogwarts, came from a whole family of wizards. This meant that he knew a lot of things Harry didn't, but had never used a telephone before. Most unluckily, it had been Uncle Vernon who had answered the call.**

** "Vernon Dursley speaking."**

** Harry, who happened to be in the room at the time, froze as he heard Ron's voice answer.**

** "HELLO? HELLO? CAN YOU HEAR ME? I - WANT - TO - TALK - TO - HARRY - POTTER!"**

** Ron was yelling so loudly that Uncle Vernon jumped and held the receiver a foot away from his ear, staring at it with an expression of mingled fury and alarm.**

"I smell trouble." said Sirius darkly.

** "WHO IS THIS?" he roared in the direction of the mouthpiece. "WHO ARE YOU?"**

** "RON - WEASLEY!" Ron bellowed back, as though he and Uncle Vernon were speaking from opposite ends of a football field. "I'M - A - FRIEND - OF - HARRY'S - FROM - SCHOOL -"**

** Uncle Vernon's small eyes swiveled around to Harry, who was rooted to the spot.**

** "THERE IS NO HARRY POTTER HERE!" he roared, now holding the receiver at arm's length, as though frightened it might explode. "I DON'T KNOW WHAT SCHOOL YOURE TALKING ABOUT! NEVER CONTACT ME AGAIN! DON'T YOU COME NEAR MY FAMILY!"**

** And he threw the receiver back onto the telephone as if dropping a poisonous spider.**

** The fight that had followed had been one of the worst ever.**

Sirius growled, feeling protective of his best mate's kid.

** "HOW DARE YOU GIVE THIS NUMBER TO PEOPLE LIKE - PEOPLE LIKE YOU!" Uncle Vernon had roared, spraying Harry with spit.**

Lily shifted uncomfortably. She had met Vernon and knew how disgusting he was.

**Ron obviously realized that he'd gotten Harry into trouble, because he hadn't called again. Harry's other best friend from Hogwarts, Hermione Granger, hadn't been in touch either. Harry suspected that Ron had warned Hermione not to call, which was a pity, because Hermione, the cleverest witch in Harry's year, had Muggle parents, knew perfectly well how to use a telephone, and would probably have had enough sense not to say that she went to Hogwarts.**

"Sounds like Lily." remarked Remus.

**So Harry had had no word from any of his wizarding friends for five long weeks, and this summer was turning out to be almost as bad as the last one. **

James' face fell. He wished he could be there to take care of Harry instead of him having to live with these ghastly Muggles.

**There was just one very small improvement - after swearing that he wouldn't use her to send letters to any of his friends, Harry had been allowed to let his owl, Hedwig, out at night. Uncle Vernon had given in because of the racket Hedwig made if she was locked in her cage all the time.**

** Harry finished writing about Wendelin the Weird and paused to listen again. The silence in the dark house was broken only by the distant, grunting snores of his enormous cousin, Dudley. It must be very late, Harry thought. His eyes were itching with tiredness. Perhaps he'd finish this essay tomorrow night...**

"Yes, Harry, get some sleep." chided Lily maternally.

**He replaced the top of the ink bottle; pulled an old pillowcase from under his bed; put the flashlight, A History of Magic, his essay, quill, and ink inside it; got out of bed; and hid the lot under a loose floorboard under his bed. Then he stood up, stretched, and checked the time on the luminous alarm clock on his bedside table.**

** It was one o'clock in the morning. Harry's stomach gave a funny jolt. He had been thirteen years old, without realizing it, for a whole hour.**

The Marauders whooped and cheered, and sang Happy Birthday to their heir.

** Yet another unusual thing about Harry was how little he looked forward to his birthdays. He had never received a birthday card in his life. The Dursleys had completely ignored his last two birthdays, and he had no reason to suppose they would remember this one.**

Sirius and James started muttering threats under their breath, both gripping their wands tightly.

**Harry walked across the dark room, past Hedwig's large, empty cage, to the open window. He leaned on the sill, the cool night air pleasant on his face after a long time under the blankets. Hedwig had been absent for two nights now. Harry wasn't worried about her: she'd been gone this long before. But he hoped she'd be back soon - she was the only living creature in this house who didn't flinch at the sight of him.**

Lily sighed sadly.

** Harry, though still rather small and skinny for his age, had grown a few inches over the last year. His jet-black hair, however, was just as it always had been - stubbornly untidy, **

"Potter hair..." Lily mumbled.

**whatever he did to it. The eyes behind his glasses were bright green, and on his forehead, clearly visible through his hair, was a thin scar, shaped like a bolt of lightning.**

"James to a T, but with Lily's eyes." grinned Moony.

** Of all the unusual things about Harry, this scar was the most extraordinary of all. It was not, as the Dursleys had pretended for ten years, a souvenir of the car crash that had killed Harry's parents, because Lily and James Potter had not died in a car crash. They had been murdered, murdered by the most feared Dark wizard for a hundred years, Lord Voldemort. Harry had escaped from the same attack with nothing more than a scar on his forehead, where Voldemort's curse, instead of killing him, had rebounded upon its originator. Barely alive, Voldemort had fled...**

James bit his lip anxiously, gripping Lily protectively. Silent tears began to drip down her face as she dropped her head on his shoulder. Peter chewed his nails, while Sirius cursed vocally and began punching the furniture.

Remus turned to the couple solemnly, "You defeated Voldemort." Peter flinched at the sound of You Know Who's name.

** But Harry had come face-to-face with him at Hogwarts. Remembering their last meeting as he stood at the dark window, Harry had to admit he was lucky even to have reached his thirteenth birthday.**

** He scanned the starry sky for a sign of Hedwig, perhaps soaring ****back to him with a dead mouse dangling from her beak, expecting praise. Gazing absently over the rooftops, it was a few seconds before Harry realized what he was seeing.**

** Silhouetted against the golden moon, and growing larger every moment, was a large, strangely lopsided creature, and it was flapping in Harry's direction. He stood quite still, watching it sink lower and lower. For a split second he hesitated, his hand on the window latch, wondering whether to slam it shut. But then the bizarre creature soared over one of the street lamps of Privet Drive, and Harry, realizing what it was, leapt aside.**

Lily lifted her head curiously.

**Through the window soared three owls, two of them holding up the third, which appeared to be unconscious. They landed with a soft flump on Harry's bed, and the middle owl, which was large and gray, keeled right over and lay motionless. There was a large package tied to its legs.**

"Presents!" smiled Peter.

**I have to stop it there, sorry. More at a later stage. Please review and let me know what you think!**

**Eimear.**


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